The Bardic Secret.--Formation of Letters

The Barddas of Iolo Morganwg, Vol. I., ed. by J. Williams Ab Ithel, [1862], at sacred-texts.com

THE BARDIC SECRET.--FORMATION OF LETTERS.

It is very remarkable that the Druidical secrets consisted in the use of the letters or ; anciently , of the twelve letters ^*, ;or thus , A. E. I. O, and where was made, it was cut fully across the Coelbren; or thus, , which were five vowels. With them in the second age there were seven strongly vocal letters, namely or . Instead of M there were two .'s together, as ; and instead of P, upside down, thus ; and instead of Mh, two 's, thus, ; and instead of F, , and an aspirate thus , and subsequently, thus ; and instead of , fully across, thus, . And A. E. I. O; and then A. E. I. O. W. Some persons maintain that there were only three vowels from the beginning, namely, . O. I. W; after that, ; in other books, and making E.

Footnotes

77:* This English sentence is evidently Iolo Morganwg's own observation.